From the bitter flavor of liquorice to the sweet creaminess of hazelnut spread to minty breath fresheners, sugary Italian candy has a long, rich history. Early confections were made from honey, a natural sweetener that requires no processing. Ancient Romans in particular had an affection for it and kept apiaries and imported large quantities from across the empire. Their teeth suffered from it too, with archaeologists finding cavities in Roman remains.
Food & Wine
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There is one way to have Italy at your fingertips no matter where you are – food, of course. The diversity in Italian cuisine is exciting, captivating and will always keep you coming back for more. If you can’t jump on a plane to Rome or Naples at a moment’s notice to soak up the insatiable flavors of Italy, you can enjoy them at home.
It’s a simple sandwich as far as sandwiches go: bell or cubanelle peppers cooked soft and combined with eggs, sandwiched on an Italian roll.
There are a few variations on this standard recipe like adding mozzarella or Parmigiano Reggiano into the eggs. The eggs can be loosely scrambled or cooked tight like an omelet. The signature element of the pepper and egg sandwich though is the lack of meat and the reason it became popular with Italians.
Ferrara’s Bakery, located at 195 Grand Street in Manhattan’s Little Italy, has not changed much since it first opened at the turn of the 19th century. The intergenerational bakery’s decades-old maroon and white checkered marble floor tiles, worn wooden walls and vintage light fixtures immediately recall a sense of nostalgia. These details, intentionally preserved over the years, are meant to remind visitors that Ferrara’s Bakery is the oldest coffee shop in New York City.
Grappa can be found across the world on restaurants’ top shelves in amorphous, hand-blown glass bottles, usually served as a digestif to the cultured diner. However, its roots in northern Italy, and their locals’ respect for it, remain humble.Distilling as a practice to create alcoholic beverages was introduced to Italy around the 11th century by
With 4.2 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, Nadia Caterina Munno, perhaps better known as the internet’s beloved Pasta Queen, is a viral Italian sensation. In 2020, at the height of the global COVID-19 induced lockdowns, she captured the hearts, and stomachs, of millions of viewers through her mouthwatering, easy-to-follow pasta recipes, eccentric Italian flair and signature catchphrase – “ I am pasta, I am drama, I am Italiana.”
On the weekends, droves of savvy New Yorkers head across the Hudson River to Bread and Salt Bakery in the funky, multi-cultural Jersey City Heights neighborhood. There, renowned baker, pizza maker, and owner of Bread and Salt, Rick Easton, satisfies their craving for his specialty pizza, Focaccia Barese, sandwiches, and a stunning array of Italian pastries. Among them is his “super old-fashioned, Italian cookies” that he bakes with pastry chef Diana Valenzuela.
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